W79976 was built by AC Cars in 1958 and delievered to the Western Region for staff training in August of that year. Alongside classmates W79975, W79977 and W79978, it was put to work on the Kemble-Cirencester Town and Kemble-Tetbury branch lines from February 1959 until closure in April 1964. W79976 and W79975 were used on services between Yeovil Town and Yeovil Junction starting from December 1964. When Yeovil Town closed in October 1966 the services continued through to Yeovil Pen Mill but the railbuses soon found themselves displaced by larger DMUs.

As with the other AC Cars railbuses, W79976 was transferred to Scotland in January 1967 and operated around Ayr, chiefly on the branch line to Kilmarnock. However it did not last long in service and in January 1968 it was officially withdrawn. 10/8/69

Following withdrawal from BR it has spent time at Bleadon and Uphill station museum, the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, County School Station Mid Norfolk, the Colne Valley Railway, and finally to the Great Central Railway where it is at last under serious restoration. ©www.railphotoprints.co.uk - Gordon Edgar